Miramar-based mental health private practice looks to transition to group practice.
Submitted by Theresa Katalinas
A personal trainer, Jannea Wolff, has a passion for health and helping people follow a regimen in order to reach their fitness goals. But, in 2016, when her first daughter was born, Wolff, of Miramar, realized the importance of holistic health firsthand.
“That was a very traumatic birth. I almost died,” she said, recalling an emergency C-section and internal bleeding she endured. “That experience really catapulted me to jump into the maternal health side of things.”
At the time, Wolff, a suburban Philadelphia native, was enrolled in a social work graduate school program at Widener University. After graduation and her required clinical hours, Wolff, in 2021, began transitioning the business that was initially focused on exercise and building women’s self-esteem to telehealth-based maternal mental health therapy specifically for mothers of color. That same year she moved to Florida and began mentoring with SCORE mentor Richard Kirshen of the Broward chapter.
“He really helped me with the foundational piece,” Wolff said of the business name change, adding that Kirshen helped with financial projections and her service offerings. By February 2023 Reclaiming Our Wellness was fully up and running.
As she contemplated expanding the thriving mental health private practice Wolff participated in SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition and was one of 45 finalists. SCORE is a nationwide nonprofit supporting small businesses.
More than 2,200 small businesses applied to compete in five pitch events. Contestants were pared down to 60 contenders who presented their pitch live before panels of judges. Leading up to the competition, participants were matched with a SCORE mentor to help refine their pitch, strengthen their presentation and hone their business plan.
Wolff teamed with SCORE mentor Latanya Hughes, who provided insight for an expansion and “getting clarity around my vision” for the future.
“It’s been super beneficial,” Wolff said. “I recommend that people definitely take advantage of the service that SCORE has to offer.”
Kirshen, whose expertise is in business startup, described Wolff as being “very motivated” and said he was not surprised to hear her business is growing.
“She’s a pretty smart lady,” Kirshen said. “She has good qualifications and background.”
For the immediate future, Wolff, who’s a licensed mental health provider in Pennsylvania and Florida, plans to bring on at least four additional therapists locally to help clients address mental health needs stemming from motherhood, including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, and finding themselves in motherhood.
An Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) trained therapist, Wolff provides a combination of traditional talk therapy with specialized EMDR techniques. According to the American Psychological Association, EMDR involves having a patient focus on trauma while simultaneously experiencing eye movements, which are associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the traumatic memory. Wolff was also trained through Postpartum Support International to provide maternal mental health services.
Wolff and the additional therapists would serve patients virtually for the time being. By year’s end, she plans to move Reclaiming Our Wellness into a physical space, which would also house dance movement therapy, yoga, and nutrition counseling.
“I’m excited about the direction and the flow of things,” Wolff said. “It will be a one stop shop for moms.”
To learn more about SCORE, request a mentor or volunteer to be one, visit score.org.
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 17 million entrepreneurs start, grow, or successfully exit a business. SCORE’s 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at score.org.
